422

Site number:

422

Authors:

IBC, GGC

Date recorded:

1978/11/13

Reason Sampled:

Soil weathering examination

Description:

On a low elevation hummocky young moraine surface; adjacent to a large area of thermokarst moraine alongside an ice lobe in a small side valley of the Hatherton Glacier

Altitude:

950 m

Aspect:

NE

Slope:

3 °

Climate

Soil climate zone:

Central Mountain

Estimated mean annual temperature:

-25 °C

Frozen ground depth:

40 cm

Frozen type:

Stagnant ice

Frozen comment:

40cm

Geology

Geological setting:

Local rocks are Ferrar Dolerite and Beacon Sandstone; the till includes some granite which is widespread lower down the Darwin Glacier, the moraine topography including the shape of terminal loops strongly suggests an ice advance into the valley; the till is recent, probably Ross I age; there my have been some water sorting by thermokarstic processes

Patterned ground:

Weakly developed

Surface weathering or surface features:

Surface boulders up to 2m; little rounding and weak surface oxidation; no crumbling, cavernous weathering or ventiforms; some weak exfoliation on sandstone clasts

Soil

Soil parent material:

Bouldery till from dolerite and sandstone with minor granite

Previous disturbance:

Nil

Soil weathering stage:

6 1 (Campbell & Claridge 1975)

Soil moisture status:

Patchy snow cover with some slight thawing; soil surface moistened occasionally

Biological activity:

Nil observed